#brentoboxes

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Spicy Cilantro Peanut Slaw

In coming up with what to complement the Smothered Pork Chops I was about to cook, I thought, “I want to make a peanut slaw!” My favorite peanut slaw comes from my favorite BBQ joint based in LA called Lucille’s BBQ. I googled peanut slaw and found this awesome recipe.

Courtesy of Kalyn’s Kitchen (kalynskitchen.blogspot.com)

Ingredients

1/2 head of green cabbage

1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro

Salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp honey or sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp Sriracha

1/4 cup canola or peanut oil

Directions

Cut cabbage head in half and save half for another salad. Remove core from the half you’re using, then cut cabbage into very thin slices (less than 1/4 inch) and turn cutting board the other direction and cut again to chop into very small pieces. Thinly slice green onions, chop cilantro, and chop peanuts.

In a bowl or glass measuring cup, mix together rice vinegar, sweetener of your choice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and Sriracha sauce if using. Use a whisk to mix in oil until dressing is well-combined.

In large plastic or glass bowl, gently combine chopped cabbage, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro. Add dressing a little at a time, until salad seems as wet as you’d like it. (You may not need all the dressing.) Add chopped peanuts, and stir a few times until peanuts are mixed in. Taste salad for seasoning, and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired. Serve immediately.

Review

DELICIOUS! This felt like a combination of my favorite peanut slaw from Lucille’s and my favorite Asian chicken salad from California Pizza Kitchen. It’s light, healthy, and I love the crunch that the peanuts add to each bite. Very cheap and easy to make. Just to change it up, I want to try adding carrot shavings and wontons crisps.

★★★★½

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Smothered Pork Chops

Last week I thought to myself, “What do I want to cook that I don’t cook often? I’ve cooked pasta, chicken, steak, and stir-fry plenty of times.” Then sometime at work I said out loud (in my head), “PORK CHOPS!” Growing up in a Filipino home, I did not get accustomed to eating this very often. Time to give this a try.

Courtesy of Tyler Florence

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup buttermilk

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Review

The best pork chops I’ve ever had. But then again, I haven’t had many pork chops so it’s hard to judge. For my first time cooking pork chops, this was pretty damn good. I absolutely loved the gravy. It was the perfect complement to the juicy pork chops. It also went well with the mashed potatoes I ate the pork chops with. I actually cooked this twice. The first night I undercooked the pork. The heat was too high so it ended up burning the pork too quickly. Before I cooked it again the next night, I realized I didn’t read the directions all the way through. I was supposed to return the pork chops to the pan with the gravy! I’m an idiot. I followed these directions and it turned out much better. Lesson learned: always read the cooking directions all the way through.

★★★★½

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Breakfast Pizza

In addition to the Nutella wontons, I made a breakfast pizza for the breakfast club at work. I just randomly picked a recipe from foodnetwork.com and found this to be the most appealing.

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

1 storebought pizza dough

2 tablespoons butter, melted

4 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar, divided, recipe follows

2 cups mascarpone cheese

1 tablespoon heavy cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

2 cups mixed berries

Cinnamon-Sugar

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Transfer the pizza dough to the lined baking sheet and brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Cinnamon-Sugar and bake until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cool the pizza crust on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together the cheese, cream, lemon juice, and zest.

For the cinnamon-sugar, cut the vanilla bean in half, lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside in a small serving bowl.

Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Top with mixed berries and sprinkle with the remaining Cinnamon-Sugar. Slice like a pizza and serve.

Review

I didn’t know what to expect from this. It just looks like an enlarged fruit tart on pizza crust. But don’t let that fool you. What really sets this dish off is the mascarpone spread with the lemon and cream as well as the cinnamon-sugar topping that coats the pizza crust and is sprinkled all over the fruits. When I took my first bite, my eyes literally opened wide because it was much more than I expected. It made me wish I was I able to lick off all the spread from the mixing bowl. Honestly, what a genius idea for a breakfast dish. It’s healthier than your typical sausage and eggs as a breakfast and it can even be used a dessert dish as well.

★★★★½

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Nutella Wontons

I first saw this on Tumblr and I immediately wanted to make them. I kept making excuses and I finally found a reason to make them: for my breakfast club at work!

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

16 wonton wrappers

1 jar of Nutella (or other hazelnut spread)

1 egg

Vegetable oil

Powdered sugar  

Directions

Line a baking sheet with plastic wrap. Place 1 wonton wrapper on the work surface. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with egg. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Place the ravioli on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers, egg, and chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while frying the remaining ravioli. (The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.)

Review

They turned out exactly how I had imagined: heavenly. It’s such a simple dessert to make and the savory reward comes out tenfold. I don’t know what else to say about them other than that these are to damn delicious. It is easy to over cook them, so don’t listen to the 45 seconds that the directions tell you and just cook until they are a beautiful golden brown.

★★★★½

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Mascarpone and Orange Marmalade Stuffed French Toast

I have a breakfast club thing at my work where we rotate and each coworker brings in breakfast every Wednesday morning. Most people don’t cook, but I feel like it’s the perfect opportunity for me to learn new dishes and have people taste my cooking! I had high hopes for this one because I saw it on Essence of Emeril and it looked damn delicious.

Courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients

6 eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 orange, juiced

1/2 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

8 slices (3/4-inch) day-old brioche (or any thickly sliced bread will do)

16 tsp mascarpone

8 tsp orange marmalade

2 tbsp butter

Powdered sugar for dusting

Maple syrup for serving

Directions

In a mixing bow whisk together the eggs, cream, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, and salt.

Lay the bread slices flat on a clean work surface. Spread 1 side of each slice with 2 teaspoons of mascarpone. Spread 2 teaspoons of the marmalade over the mascarpone on half of the slices. Place the slices together to form 4 sandwiches.

Worknig 1 at a time, dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it sit about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter has melted, add 2 of the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches.

Cut the French toast “sandwiches” in half and serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup, as desired.

Review

Can I just say, WOW? I had a feeling it was going to be good, but I didn’t expect it to be this good. Maybe I’m hyping this up too much, but just the combination of flavors is just amazing! I absolutely loved this breakfast dish and I feel like cooking it again for tomorrow’s breakfast since I have extra ingredients. The only thing was that I kind of rushed the cooking by cooking on high heat because I didn’t want to be late to work. The toast came out looking a little burnt and it wasn’t the crisp I was hoping for. But other than that, it was perfect. The second time, I made it for my boyfriend and the toast came out perfectly but this time I think I overheated the filling and it was just slipping all over the place. I’ll perfect it one of these days! Regardless, this recipe is beyond amazing and it has revitalized my love for French toast.

★★★★★

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Baked Mac-n-Cheese

I was originally supposed to make Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls for the Thanksgiving Dinner at my new place, but then Diwata told me that her friend had so much leftover Mac-n-Cheese that I decided not to make it. Unfortunately, that friend ended up not coming but that didn’t really matter.

When Erline told me about this White Elephant shindig she was having at her place in San Mateo, I thought, “OO what a perfect opportunity to try out these Fried Mac-n-Cheese Balls.” Too bad I didn’t read the directions to the recipe until the day of and that’s when I realized sometime during the process of making them I would have to store them overnight in the freezer. That was a failure so I decided to make this baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe.

Courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

Butter, for greasing dish

12 ounces wide egg noodles

2 cups heavy cream

2 1/2 cups whole milk

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for pasta water

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (packed) grated Fontina

3/4 cup (packed) finely grated Parmesan

3/4 cup (packed) grated mozzarella

4 ounces cooked ham, diced, optional

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Drain well, but do not rinse.

Whisk the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Stir in 1 cup Fontina, 1/2 cup Parmesan, 1/2 cup mozzarella, ham, if using, and parsley. Add the noodles and toss to coat. Transfer the noodle mixture to the prepared baking dish. Toss the remaining 1 cup Fontina, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and 1/4 cup mozzarella in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Review

Wow, it was just perfect. I couldn’t find regular Fontina cheese, but the smoked Fontina added this new flavor to the recipe that I did not expect and it fit in well. At first I was not going to add the ham, but it was pretty good in the end. I might substitute for something else like bacon. Or maybe I can make it Filipino Mac-n-Cheese and add tocino or longanisa, hahahaha. Also, because the Fontina was a pricier than the Parmesan and Mozarella, I might consider changing the ratio so I don’t have to buy so much Fontina. And I might add a kick to it because I love spice. Maybe Paprika and Pepper Jack? Mmmm, sounds delicious already.

The only thing was that I wish it was freshly cooked right out of the oven, so it wouldn’t be as chunky. I had to cook it 5 hours earlier than the party because I had to tutor before and I did not have time to go back home and cook it. But otherwise, it was great. It sounded like a hit because some of the people there were raving about it. I always love Erline’s reactions because you can really tell when she loves a dish, like the Chicken Tortilla Soup I cooked a while back.

With the leftovers I took home, it seemed like the Mac-n-Cheese got better with age because after microwaving it, it still tasted as good as the first day.

I am definitely going to make it for Brown Carabao when I go back to SD.

★★★★★

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

Last weekend Aaron and I were homeless because we got kicked out of our temporary townhouse (it’s a long story, you can ask in person) and we were graciously allowed to bum it on Erline’s couch for the weekend. As a payment for their generous hospitality, we decided to cook her and her roommates an extensive meal and this time it was like I had a sous chef (because usually Aaron comes home really late and I usually cook by myself). Here is the soup creation we made. 

Courtesy of Rachel Ray 

Ingredients

3 cups chicken stock

1 pound chicken tenders

1 bay leaf, fresh if available

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

4 slices thick, smoky center cut bacon, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce

1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

Salt

4 cups lightly crushed corn tortilla chips

2 cups shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white Cheddar, 3/4 pound

1 lime, cut into wedges

1/2 red onion, chopped

Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Bring broth to a simmer and add chicken tenders, poach 6 to 7 minutes with a bay leaf. 

While chicken poaches, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp then remove with slotted spoon. Drain off excess fat, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons in the pan. Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes. 

Remove chicken from stock, dice and then add to soup. Pass stock through a strainer then add to the soup. 

Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover liberally with smoked cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve with lime, raw onions and cilantro at table to finish the soup.

Review

We had one major problem. First of all, Aaron couldn’t find the Chipotle in Adobo for the Chicken Tortilla Soup, which sounds like a really critical ingredient. What he did instead was he bought Chipotle Salsa. I can’t really say if this was a good substitute for Chipotle in Adobo since I had never used it before, but hey, the soup still turned out pretty good. Erline was so amazed with ithis soup. I was laughing to myself that every 5 minutes she had to express that sentiment, but it was definitely validating. I know I can do better, so I can’t wait to make this again and taste how this is really supposed to taste.

★★★★